Pours a hazed orange color with an off white head that fades pretty quickly. This beer seems to be a little to dark to be an imperial white. I expect witbier's to be the color of corn silk and even though this is an imperial its more pale ale or IPA-ish in color.

The smell is true to style. Spiced wheat with a nice underlying tone of orange. That distinct Belgian style yeast is present giving that familiar bready bubblegum note.

Taste is over sweetened in the long run but there is a nice bouquet of flavors. Candied oranges with a subtle spice and a wheat backbone. The flavors are masked by a thick syrupy feel that washes over the palate and leaves mostly the fruity, yeasty flavors.

Not a great example of a witbier. The right smells and tastes are subtly there but they seem over processed and unrefined. The one positive in this brew is a nice smooth mouthfeel. Despite the syrupy feel it is cool and coats your mouth nicely, while masking the 9% ABV.

T - A bit like cough syrup in strength at first w/ alcohol flavor followed by wheat and mild fruity/tropical flavor which improves as it warms w/ more malty flavor and mild spice

D - A strong tasting beer and bold - I would recommend sampling with food. It seems a bit intense for my taste @ 10.3% to really be considered drinkable. I like it but this doesn't hide the alcohol well. Not an every day beer, perhaps shared or as a nightcap best suits this.

Clear golden-straw color into a tulip glass. Head is minimal but with a solid white ring and cirrus clouds wisping in the middle, by all appearances, this looks flawless. A gentle swirl generates a perfectly creamy and uniform 1 finger head that lingers and laces as fine as any I've ever experienced.

Fruity fruity fruity in the smell. Pear, apple, muscat, raisin. Cinnamon or some other spice swirls around there too. Very good.

Taste is very slightly cloying but sweet for sure. It's thick for a witbier but Imperial white is an apt title. I'm tasting the orange as the sneaky 9% makes it's way to my cerebral cortex. All of the smells come through in the taste but less than the scent may lead you to think. I'm really liking the taste of this beer. As a result of trying this I will seek out more witbiers.

Mouthfeel - Medium body with minor foamy bubbling making it smooth and rich. It finishes sweet then dries up like the first drops of a summer rain on a hot blacktop road.

Drinkability is decent considering the gravity but at the ABV is what knocks it down a bit. It's a good thing that this only comes in a four pack because more than 2 at a time would be a waste.

I will definitely buy this again to share with friends and family who may enjoy it and I'll have some too.

Cheers to SA for their Imperial series. They know the market and they certainly know beer!

I suppose i should not be surprised by some of the more negative reviews as for the most part they are from those who see the SA name and relegate it to the lower echelon of craft brews. This beer however is exactly what it claims to be. When I a imagine a imperial white, I expect all the great characteristcs of the true greats of the style, such as hoeggarden, amplified. That is what SA imperial white is, a fruity spice bomb with high alcohol, a wonderful mouthfeel and a winning finish. There are many SA creations i don't favor, but this one is a winner, if you are being honest in your review.

Deep and cloudy burnt orange hue with a one finger light tan head that settles to a razor thin and smooth cap.

Caramel malts, along with a bit of raisin and cinnamon. A bit of orange peel in there as well.

The alcohol is way too noticeable in this beer, especially for the style. More raisin that gives way to some toasty malts toward the end. I could almost say this tastes salty...

Sam Adams should go back to the drawing board on this one, or maybe just leave this style as a crisper refreshing type beer. I'm definitely not impressed with this one, as the drinkability is so low from the alcohol.

My first taste of this was at EBF 09, but seeing as I had already been to the 3F, Founders, DFH, and Lost Abbey tables I didnt think my initial reaction (disappointment) was accurate.. luckily (sort of, i guess) I found a single of it and got a second introduction. Smells faintly of oranges and bananas, nothing striking though not bad. Pours a dark orangish/amber color with a white head that dissipates quickly.. it basically resembles your average yuengling or such.. The taste is citrusy, the orange and coriander are certainly there but no where NEAR the presence they have in, say, DFH red&white.. Its fruity but a bit creamy as well, much more like a tripel than witbier, again: good not great. The mouth is surprisingly moderate and sort of thick. Its got a sweet presence in he mouth and the ABV is certainly there. Its better than your average finds and its certainly got a full flavor that isnt bad, but its not amazing.

Pours out to a cloudy, milky medium amber, forming a large creamy head with good retention and nice lacing. Carbonation is mild. The nose is very enticing and fresh with a potent orange peel and coriander nose, abundant malts, and tropical fruit esters. The mouthfeel is very soft and smooth with a dense, rich body. The taste opens with candied apples, rotting oranges, and spicy cloves, followed by potent coriander and a malty sweetness and big malt body. The finish is smooth with notes of pineapple and kiwi. The finish is lightly dry with very mild bitterness, but it still well-balanced. As it warms, the malts open up and become even more enjoyable.

This is a very good beer. I thought it would be hard to brew an Imperial Wit that would still be enjoyable and drinkable, but this fits the bill and Sammy has done it well. Recommended.

Appearance: Poured into my Hoegaarden glass..this has a deep orange/amber color to it and a creamy white head. Retention is pretty good.

Aroma: Spices and orange come off, but other than that not much else. Spices is coriander

Taste: Spices dominate from the beginning, along with an alcohol sensation that follows. Kind of a warming type. Strange. I don't taste too much of the citrus really. Tastes fine..imperial maybe. White? Not as much

Mouthfeel: Creamy and full body. Goes down well

Drinkability: Its not bad. Whether or not its a wit is up for debate..Southhampton makes a double white that's better, I'd say. Goes down well though, and its worth trying.

pours in nice and thick with a hazy amber color and an orange tint. The head is thick and creamy, off white color. Lots of lacing left behind.

I was expecting more of an aroma, but I got the orange and spices. Also some alcohol aroma.

This is definitely thicker and more viscous than I first thought. There is some carbonation, but I would have liked a bit more.

The taste hit me pretty good. Again, more than I expected. The spices stand out most. The orange and fruitiness is also quite evident. Hints of malt. There is some alcohol in the taste, but not bad considering the ABV.

Pretty good overall, but the thickness is what would keep me from drinking more than 1 or 2 at a time.

I drank this beer. Its' kind of orange-amber in color with a uniformly dense off-white. beige head. cloudy? Overcast. Smells kinda citrusy and spicy. It tastes like a Saison sort of. It's imperial, but it aint white. Full smooth body. It finishes a little yeasty with mild jolly rancher citrus fruit. It's not bad. But I wouldn't bother with it again.

A- alot darker than i was expecting. a murky dark amber colored body with a crown of beige colored head. i guess the extra malt in this one darkens the color a bit, but this one doesnt seem to fit the style.

S- lots of bready malts is the first thing i notice. some spices as well. coriander and orange peel. some noticeable alcohol in too.

A- Body is a slightly hazy dark golden to light copper hue. Pours with a hefty 3 finger+ head that eventually fades to 1/2 finger and leaves plenty of lacing behind in the glass. Cloudiness is light to medium (for a witbier) and uniform.

S- Nose is full of big bready yeast (though with American aromas), then coriander comes through along with orange and a slight phenolic presence.

T- Upfront the flavor is very light and the highlight is definitely coriander with a slight presence of orange and other citrus flavors and a pretty hefty bready yeast backbone. Coriander comes through a bit more for the finish as well as a nice floral hop flavor. What lingers is a balance of coriander, citrus, yeast, and hop flavors all wrapped in a warm alcohol blanket.

M- This is the best mouthfeel that I have come across in a Sam Adams brew thus far. Medium to high slightly tingly carbonation and a medium weight-yet full smooth creamy bready body.

D- This is a good offering from Sam Adams. My biggest complaint about it is the blatant American influence. I would have liked to have tasted more Belgian flavors-and at $4.25 a 12 oz bottle I think this would have been doable.

Aside from that- this is a well put together wheat beer. The overall impression is a mix of Sam Adams White and Leine's Sunset Wheat with an Imperial Flare. The ABV is noticeable but not intrusive. One I might have again-but the $ is a little bit high-certainly worth a try though.

Samuel Adams has created yet another fine brew here. This is a heavily malt flavored concoction that is reminiscent of a farmhouse saison that I brewed last year. I definitely get the banana that some of the other reviewers have noted along with some coriander and citrus. Pours nice and packs a big punch. Definitely not a session beer! Way to go Sam Adams!

Poured into a pint glass. This beer has a hazy orange-gold color. The head was slow to form, but after a moment, it was left with a dense, creamy half-inch on top. The aroma is sweet, with a light underlying spiciness. On first taste, the sweetness of this beer cloys the senses. The body is very heavy and full--the opposite of what any normal wit should be. There's coriander present, but it gets lost in the heavy malt and noticeable alcohol. It's really too much, and it's not enjoyable.

An imperial wit ought to be something like Celis's grand cru, very perfumy, strong, but light-bodied. This bastardization just doesn't work.

Finally got around to trying some of the new SA Imperial Series. Bought a 4 pack for $8.99.

Pours a cloudy orange, small head to it with a small amount of patchy lacing. Smell is very spicy, also very boozy. Tastewise, nice body to it.. the spiciness really comes through here. A VERY strong alcohol kick to it as well... this tastes stronger than a DFH 120 minute. Any typical witbier characteristics are just over-matched by the spiciness and mixed-drink type alcohol flavor. Kinda bummed about this one, there is no flavor detectable besides the ethanol... too bad.

12 fl oz brown bottle; served in a goblet. Alcohol by volume is listed on the label as 10.3%.

Pours a murky copper with highlights of hazy camel. Creamy, lightly off-white head that recedes to a thin sheet after a few moments. Delicate patches of lacing with decent strength.

Heavy, artificially sweet malt aroma with an intensely sharp, gaseous alcohol presence. Lemon solvency, but not much more in terms of citrus aromatics.

Very sweet candied sugar over a very delicate toasted malt base. Mild, citrus solvency. As in the aroma, the alcohol presence is overpowering and unforgiving. Once the alcohol presence clears the artificial sweetness, a weak adjunctory base of grains and thin malt appear. A train wreck regarding balance from the start.

Full bodied; bulky, gaseous, and slick. Diverse, intense flavors that have no semblence of textural balance.

At 10.3% abv, this 'witbier' is a bulky mess. Nothing refined, rounded, or drinkable about this offering. A concoction that should be pulled from Sam's lineup.

Glowing, pulpy, brassy-orange body. Little finger of whipped, creamy, beige head. Nice lacing. Nose shows off lots of tropical fruits, banana, banana rum, and yeast. Maybe a hint of spice in there as well. Toasted malts and banana puree up front. Tropical fruit sweetness follows, mixing with the banana flavors. Slight medicinal twang rides sidecar with these malts. Yeasty in the finish, along with subtle spices and orange/citrus zest. Full-bodied and thick, with an almost smoothie consistency. Warming, but not overly boozy for the abv. Not bad.

This beer smacks you pretty hard in the nose and the palate. Sam Imperial White tried to do too much too fast. I found that it was almost offensively strong and full of flavors that did not blend well with me. Therefore I found it suffered on drinkability. Yet despite this, the flavors had a pleasant aftertaste. Upon finishing the bottle I felt very full, however, whether mentally or stomachally, nonetheless left me feeling a bit "too much".

From a recently purchased 4-pack, this will be served in a classic Belgian witbier glass at just over fridge temperature. Bottled on 1/26/09.

Appearance- This viscous, hefty brew pours a *much* deeper gold than any other wit I've seen... the weight alone in the glass is stupefying. Mostly clear with barely any haze, it supports a stubborn inch-thick bone white crown that sits firmly on top. Creamy lacing that chooses where and where it will not stick.

Smell- Huge coriander and orange popsicle nose... its absolutely massive presence brings with it some of the alcohol as well. The label states a 10.3% ABV.

Taste- While the flavor profile delivers a balanced showing of all ingredients and spices, this particular beer doesn't do all that well "imperialized". The alcohol heat is too far out front, contributing an unpleasant middle and finish to the taste. Samuel Adams' regular seasonal White Ale is so much better on all levels.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability- Foamy, slick, and just a wee bit aggressive... it works for this beer. The swallow is good, never letting down with regard to the smoother carbonation. This beer makes its presence felt for sure, and it will sock you if you're not careful. Not a winner in BBC's stellar lineup in my opinion.